Paul Miles
I met Paul Miles in the Green Room during Lansing’s Old Town Bluesfest in September. As a volunteer, I had just bussed some tables and was recycling a few beer bottles when in walked a sharp dressed man wearing an outfit that said one thing to me:
“This guy does not shop in Lansing.”
Because his appearance made him stand out among the jeans and t-shirts, I wandered over to introduce myself and compliment his outfit. He had on a beautiful three piece pinstripe suit and two-tone spectator shows, topped off by a sweet panama style hat I later learned he’d found at a thrift store in his hometown of Detroit, for $4.95.
My shift had taken up the past two hours, so I missed his set earlier that afternoon. I’d never heard him play, even on disc or online. He said he usually goes on stage alone, but that this day in Old Town he’d brought in a band as well.
“Playing gives me an opportunity to share the richness of an original music form, “The Blues.” In Lansing, there seems to be sincere appreciation from the blues artists and blues fans. Feels good to come back.”
His bio states that he’s been influenced by James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Richie Havens, but that his roots go back much further to blues artists like Lightning Hopkins, B.B.King, Mississippi John Hurt and Furry Lewis. When I listened to him on youtube, he reminded me of one of my favorite living blues legends, Taj Mahal.
These two contemporaries both possess that playing style so instantly recognizable as the “Delta sound”, where the main characteristic is instrumentation and an emphasis on rhythm and “bottleneck” slide. Paul delivers all that in a very joyful way, mixing high pitched squeals with rich vocals and foot-stompin’ guitar licks that really do make you want to “jump and shout.”
Sample here if you wish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2CUALvdUsA
“I was given some basic lessons from ‘Keb Mo’ for a stage production called ‘Lost Highway” in San Diego in 1995 at the Globe Theater. My styling uses alternating bass lines with syncopated rhythms, along with accented slide guitar riffs.”
He self-produced ten albums of original blues music in the past 15 years and has played in Germany, France and Switzerland, where he appeared at the Lucerne Blues Festival from 1996-2001.
A recent project brought together the legendary original “Vandellas” with other Motor City musicians, to record Paul’s original tune called “Motown Still Our Town.” This tribute to his beloved hometown will be used as a fundraiser for various causes around Detroit. The video won a place in the Detroit Music Awards in
2010.
Paul’s signature and sign-off always includes the salutation, “Peace and Blues.” Speaking to him in person you get the feeling this is not a mere platitude.
“It don’t mean a thing unless you feel the music. I let it go through me to the audience. The music vibration coupled with the love vibration can indeed help lift our life condition. All that will help our society, our people, our planet.”
I missed him live at Bluesfest but luckily he’ll be back in town on November 3 at Brannigan Bros in downtown Lansing. Mike Skory will be his sideman on keyboards so save the date for some very happy music from a very happy man.
